Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams

1. Author Ore Agbaje-Williams wrote The Three of Us as a literary triptych. How did this structure influence who you believed or found yourself rooting for? Are you #TeamTemi, or did you feel for the husband? Why do you think you reacted to the characters the way you did?
2. In The Three of Us, the wife, the husband, and Temi all have their version of events. To what extent do you think they believe the stories they tell themselves? In what ways is their resolve to stick to their stories an indication of a strong sense of self? By illustrating the wife as the go-between, how does Agbaje-Williams comment on who gets to tell the truth, if it exists at all?
3. At times, the wife's allegiance seems to lie with her best friend, Temi. Still, the wife is married. Whom should the wife be more loyal to in this dynamic, and why? To what extent is it healthy to keep secrets from those closest to you?
4. At one point in the story, the wife offers readers an analysis on why she loves her husband. Discuss whether love should require such reasoning. What do you make of Agbaje-Williams' decision to leave the wife and the husband nameless in the story?
5. The trials and tribulations of dating inspired Agbaje-Williams to write The Three of Us. In what ways does this story shed light on how we choose to engage with potential suitors? How did this story make you ponder your own approach to dating, and to relationships?
6. Spillage is a recurring motif throughout the story. Other than with wine, what instances of spillage, figurative or literal, can you recall in this story? Discuss its symbolism.
7. From the beginning, we see Temi and the husband at odds. How much of Temi's distaste can be attributed to the husband's personality versus his role as husband? How do you think the wife really feels about this enmity?
8. Temi and the wife become quick friends during their school years. What does their origin story tell us about the truth of their dynamic? How reliant are they on each other? Who would the wife be without Temi?
9. The wife notes the freedom she feels around her husband to be herself. Describe the role of family in both reinforcing and relieving expectations, and the impact it has on the characters' identities.
10. Many are taken by the sheer power of voice in The Three of Us—as if a character has walked onstage and the scene has been stolen. In what ways does the story read like a play? How can voice and tone in literature give way to a theatrical reading?
11. At the center of this story lies the idea of motherhood. How does the ending either upend or adhere to the traditional, cultural expectations of family life imposed upon the wife? Based on your answer, discuss the extent to which you perceive the ending as a release toward freedom, or confinement. What do you think was revealed on the last page?
12. To answer the question at the forefront of this story, what would you do if the two most important people in your life hated each other? Share a story, if you've had a similar experience, about how those dynamics played out.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of G.P. Putnam's Sons. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.